could amass well over $100 worth of crystals. Although many of the crystals were interchangeable with other radio ISSUE 68 APR-MAY-JUN 2014 makes, Bearcat scanners used a different IF (Intermediate Frequency) which would not allow them to be switched interchangeable among Bearcat radios. ♦ Transformation in the Radio Scanning Hobby Back in the late 60s, VHF was king. Most of the public ♦ Military Meteorological Info safety agency radio systems ♦ Amateur Radio: Feedlines Part 1 operated in the 148-170 MHz band. Occasionally in ♦ Digital Amateur Radio Illinois larger cities where the frequencies were a bit ♦ MS CommNet Maine congested, big cities like ♦ Akihabara Radio Center Japan Philadelphia conducted radio communications in the ♦ PNC Park Pittsburgh PA newer UHF band. As far back as my memory goes, the ♦ New Hampshire Update Philadelphia Police have operated on the 453 MHz band. ♦ Washington DC Update Pictured to the left is a photo of my first scanner. It was manufactured by Midland and was GENERAL EDITOR Alan Cohen available in either VHF [email protected] High-Band or UHF. I purchased this model to Sorry, no column this issue monitor Philly police in UHF. A local electronic surplus store not only PUBLISHER Lou Campagna carried various electronic [email protected] parts but also sold CB radios and Police Transformation in the Radio Scanning Hobby scanners. They had a hand-drawn poster board What has Happened? The Early Days of the city of Philadelphia and had it divided in That seems to be a tricky question lately and it depends various district numbers on who you ask. It’s obvious to many hobbyists that have and highlighted the areas been involved in monitoring their local public safety covered by each radio agencies over the past twenty years or so; that the task of ‘band’. In Philly they monitoring your local police, fire and EMS is no longer a referenced to channel or frequency as ‘band’. After my simple one. The days of crystal-controlled police scanners initial purchase of the scanner of $79, each month as are a thing of the past. Many of these radios have been funds became available; I would purchase a crystal relegated to the museums or packed away in a box costing $4-7 each. By the end of my first year in the somewhere in the far reaches of the garage. You can still hobby, I filled my 4-channel UHF scanner with some get to see some of these old scanner radios as they additional crystals so that I could swap out various occasional surface and make their way the the hamfest frequencies at my discretion. tables, some commanding a mere $5-10 each. Lafayette, Fanon-Courier, Midland, Realistic, Heathkit, RCA, Bearcat F-1 453.950 MHz Northeast Band (Districts 2-7-8-15) (Electra), Regency are just a few nameplates that F-2 453.300 MHz East Band (Districts 24-25-26) manufactured police-fire scanners. Crude to today’s radio F-3 453.750 MHz “J” Band (Citywide) receivers, the radios required the purchase a ‘crystal’ for F-4 453.250 MHz “T” Band (Citywide Traffic) each frequency, and were limited to the number of channels that were able to be scanned. Four channels Based on the channel setup, I had full knowledge to the was a basic set up and some premium radios offered to ongoing action in the city. I can’t calculate the number of scan up to sixteen channels. It required the hobbyist to hours I spent monitoring the Philly PD “KGF587”. The city purchase a crystal for each frequency and it was and one SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 68 PAGE 1 built a robust UHF radio system with built-in redundancy This state-wide system has been in the planning stages and had the capability to transmit from five separate tower for several years but was fast tracked after the April 27, locations dispersed throughout the city. Back then, little 2011 tornado outbreak. This system will include a mix of consideration was given to power output and since Philly VHF and UHF as well as the 700MHz and 800MHz.. was the exclusive user (no other agencies within 100 mile Unlike the Ohio MARCS system which was built with radius) on the 453 MHz band, the transmitted power in mostly State funding, this network is being built by the excess of today’s standard. This made it possible to hear individual counties and cities with the assistance of some the police band very easily 20-30 miles outside of the city State and Federal Government grants. Alabama has limits. nowhere close to the amount of money that Ohio and many other states have to invest in a statewide Although my first introduction to radio was DXing in the communications system project, so completion will take a AM broadcast band, nothing came close to impacting my very long time. That is unfortunate, considering the huge hobby until I got hooked into scanning. By the mid-70s I amount of severe weather (tornadoes and hurricanes) that was immersed within the scanning hobby which ultimately we have. led into the purchase of fancier radios and I broadened my interests outside of public safety sector into many niche Baldwin and Mobile Counties on the Gulf Coast were the monitoring activities. I’ve always enjoyed every minute of it first to be a part of this system. Montgomery (the State and it never got old. Capitol) County is in the testing phase. Clinton, Morgan (which borders Madison County to the south) and Shelby As readers of the SD Newsletter you are encouraged to counties have systems under construction, and along with tell us about your involvement in the scanning hobby. I’m Montgomery County are hoping to be online before the sure everyone has their own story. You can share your spring severe weather season in 2014. Etowah County passion by sending us your story to has been licensed for 700 MHz P25 but I have not seen [email protected] any status reports for it. Calhoun and Talladega Counties in East Central Alabama will be part of this system when In the next issue I go over the changes that the hobby has the networking hardware is installed on their existing 800 gone through and the challenges that today’s hobbyists MHz trunk system which is already covering both of those are faced with. counties. Shelby County, south of Birmingham, will be a VHF P25 system. Cullman County has converted some of Lou Campagna, Publisher their VHF conventional repeaters to P25 with plans to upgrade to a trunk system when funds become available. The Jefferson County/Birmingham Motorola Type II ALABAMA Dave Marshall N8OAY system will be converting to P25. Marshall County, which 125 Royal Drive Apt 805 borders both Madison and Morgan counties, has ordered Madison AL 35758-1785 a few radios for key personnel to use with mutual aid [email protected] communications. Just a few weeks after I arrived in Alabama in May 2012 Madison County Communications District and got the scanners unpacked and programmed, testing System ID 46B started on a new 700 MHz P25 trunk system in the WACN BEE00 Huntsville-Madison County area. Tower Number (Decimal) 302 Tower Number (Hex) T0302 The Madison County P25 system is part of a State-Wide Tower Description Huntsville Simulcast network that is being assembled partially from upgrading Control Capabilities: Data, Voice, Registration existing systems and from new construction. This Call Sign(s): WPTZ783 WQPL410 networked system will allow someone from any location to communicate with first responders from any other location Frequencies when needed for local mutual aid or wide area situations. Tower 302 Eventually, all Huntsville, Madison and Madison County Huntsville Sites: Monte Sano Mountain, Drake Mountain agencies will move to this trunk system. Some of the 800 Madison Site: Rainbow Mountain MHz frequencies on this system were moved over from 851.71250 853.27500 853.66250 the Huntsville Motorola Type II system after Fire, HEMSI 855.21250 857.41250a 857.66875 and Police stopped using it. The Huntsville Madison 856.43750 855.61250 769.10625 County Airport Authority will move to this system from their 769.33125 769.40625 769.46875 current EDACS trunk system. Some of the 700 MHz 769.80625 770.33125 771.15625 frequencies in this system are licensed to the State of 771.60625 771.70625a 772.28125c Alabama. 773.03125 773.28125 773.53125 773.78125 774.76875 774.79375a SCANNER DIGEST NEWSLETTER – ISSUE 68 PAGE 2 Tower 303 3801 Unknown New Market Site: Lewis Mountain 3802 Unknown 855.61250a 769.35625 769.96875 4101 Unknown 770.80625 771.98125c 774.04375 6412 Unknown 774.29375 29770 Unknown 29906 Unknown Tower 304 30000 Common Gurley Site: Keel Mountain 30001 Common 856.36250a 769.21875 769.71875 30002 Common 770.05625 771.40625a 772.03125c 30003 Common 774.54375 30004 Common 30005 Common a – Alternate Control Channel 30006 Common c – Primary Control Channel 30008 Common 30025 Huntsville PD (Encrypted) Neighboring Sites 30026 Huntsville PD (Encrypted) 307 308 309 310 Morgan County 30027 HPD (Encrypted) 30028 HPD (Encrypted) Talk Groups 30029 HPD (Encrypted) Many of the Talk Groups are encrypted, and are listed 30030 HPD (Encrypted) here only for documentation purposes. The system has 30031 HPD (Encrypted) the capability of using Phase II TDMA in the future. Some 30032 HPD (Encrypted) of the Fire Department encrypted talk groups are 30034 HPD (Encrypted) intermittently unencrypted, but this is an exception rather 30035 HPD (Encrypted) than common practice (I have never heard them 30036 HPD (Encrypted) unencrypted, but have seen them show up on Pro96Com 30038 HPD (Encrypted) unencrypted).